Fully-automatic Warehouse - BLACK BOX: Scenario 4

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Fully-automatic Warehouse - BLACK BOX: Scenario 4

Purpose

The external system is to perform all warehouse functions and assume responsibility for
warehouse management and warehouse control for a specific warehouse.

Scenarios 3, 4 and 5 must be considered in conjunction with an automatic warehouse.

In a warehouse complex with many different warehouses (these are different storage
types from the point of view of SAP), different storage techniques can be used in the
individual warehouses. A warehouse with several manual storage types and one or more
automatic storage types would be possible. The automatic storage type is highly
automated and very complex with regard to its structure and the storage technique used.
Management of this storage type is linked directly to warehouse control, that is, in order
to define a goods movement, information on the current status of the warehouse systems
is required. A large number of individual communication processes between the WM
system and external system would have to be expected in this case. This communication
is also very time-critical, i.e. certain events in the warehouse control unit would require an
immediate response from the warehouse management system. The asynchronous
interface, which is currently used for communication between the WM system and
external system, is thus not suitable for such a dynamic warehouse. A system which can
handle all aspects of warehouse management and control in one software package would
be far more effective for managing this storage type.

Since the automatic storage type only represents part of the warehouse complex and
most of the warehouses are managed manually, the WM system can be used for the
entire warehouse complex. The WM system manages the entire warehouse complex and
distributes the individual stock placement and removal procedures amongst the individual
storage types. In manual warehouses, all aspects of warehouse management are
controlled by the WM system. The automatic warehouse is regarded as a ‘black box’ by
the WM system, i.e. the WM system does not recognize any storage bin stock in the
warehouse.

Process Flow

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In this scenario, the following functions are performed by the WM system for the
automatic warehouse:

Management of summarized stock for each material

Initiation and generation of goods movements

The external system assumes full responsibility for warehouse management and
warehouse control within this storage type. This includes:

Determining the storage bins for the individual movements

Generating goods movements within the storage type

Inventory taking

Controlling the conveyors

Controlling the material flow

Optimizing resources

The automatic warehouse is defined in the WM system as a specific storage type. There
are several different ways in which the storage type can be managed by the WM system:

1. The storage type is defined with a fixed storage bin (similar to an interim storage
area) and all stock is managed in this storage bin
2. Several storage bins are defined in the storage type which do not, however,
correspond to the physical storage bins. Additions to existing stock must be
possible in the warehouse with the result that a storage bin is always occupied with
one material. The stock for one specific material thus accumulates in one storage
bin; a new material is always assigned to a new storage bin. This type of
management can be used if you encounter problems blocking the storage bins with
option 1.

The storage bin in the WM system has no significance for the external system.

A possible method for distributing the functions between the WM system and the external
system for this warehouse is described in the following examples:

WM:

Communicates with other SAP components such as SD, MM and PP

Initiates goods movements

Generates transfer orders

Sends generated transfer orders to the external system; the material identification,
quantity and cause of the movement, but not the storage bin, are of significance

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 Interface WM to external system

External system: :

Determines storage bins for stock placement and stock removal

Optimizes the material flow

Executes the individual goods movements

(Reports the goods movements to the WM system

Interface external system to WM)

Executes inventory

Reports differences to the WM system

Interface external system to WM

Initiates and executes movements such as stock transfers within the warehouse

WM:

(Reports confirmed transfer orders)

Generates transfer orders for the reported differences

The WM system handles communication with the other SAP components for the entire
warehouse complex and thus also for the automatic warehouse. When goods are
received, the MM system informs the WM system of the pending stock placement. The
WM system generates a transfer order with one or more items for the goods receipt. The
destination of the stock placement is determined, i.e. the storage type in which the goods
are to be placed into stock. If the automatic warehouse is selected for the stock
placement, the transfer order items concerned are transferred to the external system with
the standard IDoc WMTOID01. The stock placement procedure is then processed further
by the external system. The goods to be placed into stock are identified in the external
system either by means of the transfer order number and items that have been sent or
the storage unit number. It is not essential for this goods movement to be reported to the
WM system.

When stock is removed or picked, the scope of the procedure is determined in the WM
system and one or several transfer orders are generated. A picking procedure can involve
several different storage types in this case as well. All of the transfer order items which
are relevant for the automatic warehouse are prepared in the WM system and transferred
to the external system with the standard IDoc WMTOID01. The storage bin from which
the goods are optimally removed from stock or picked is selected in the external system.
If picking is carried out in the external system, the picking procedure should also be
reported to the WM system. The data for this must be structured in the same way as the

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standard IDoc WMTCID01 on the external system side and sent to the SAP system so
that the individual transfer order items with the actual quantities can be confirmed in the
SAP system.

Any differences that are established in the external system, either by means of an
inventory or online, must be reported to the WM system. The standard IDoc WMTOID01
must be generated in the external system for individual material differences and sent to
the WM system. A transfer order is generated from the IDoc in the WM system in order to
post the difference from the warehouse in an interim record for differences.

The movements within the warehouse do not need to be sent to the WM system as only
the summarized stock is managed in here.

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